Mineralogist Finds Apple Card’s Atomic Makeup Isn’t 100% Titanium

Apple says the Apple Card is made from titanium. But just how much titanium is actually used in the construction of the credit card?

Bloomberg Businessweek recently set out to answer that exact question. A reporter for the publication sent his Apple Card to Hans-Rudolf Wenk, a professor and mineralogist at the University of California, Berkeley.

Professor Wenk analyzed the Apple Card’s atomic makeup using a scanning electron microscope, or SEM, device. The result? The Apple Card is actually mostly titanium (about 90 percent).

The remaining 10 percent is apparently aluminum. But why?

Titanium is well-known for being the lightweight but durable metal used in everything from aircraft to missiles, but Apple itself notes that its mostly-titanium credit card is still prone to staining and other blemishes from common materials.

Last month, Apple published a support document about cleaning and maintaining the Apple Card. In that document, the company notes that the card shouldn’t come into contact with denim or leather. Keeping it near other credit cards could also cause it to become scratched, Apple advised.

Apple says that it creates the Apple Card’s matte white finish using a “multi-layer coating process.” Bloomberg also notes that the company uses the word “titanium” about 13 times in its support document. (It’s up to 26 times in other support documents.) But it isn’t exactly a surprise that the Apple Card isn’t 100 percent titanium. Apple uses an alloy, a material made from a combination of metals, in every metal product it produces.

While titanium is a great material for a consumer-facing product, it isn’t perfect. It’s more prone to scratching, for example. The use of some aluminum in the Apple Card’s alloy mixture undoubtedly provides some protection against titanium’s downsides.

Of course, there’s also an argument about whether the Apple Card’s atomic makeup actually matters. While the physical Apple Card has become the face of the platform, the card itself actually seems like it’s meant to be used predominantly via Apple Pay and online.

If your card gets lost, stolen or just damaged, Apple also offers free replacement Apple Cards through the Wallet app.